Legislative
Initiatives:
Current Policy Campaign
Overview of H451/S284:
An Act to Ensure Educator Excellence
What is H451/S284?
H451/S284 is a bill that will transform the educator workforce in Massachusetts by providing all educators with a systematic means of acquiring and strengthening their skills and expertise throughout their careers. The bill clearly defines what educators need to know and be able to do and provides educators with support and accountability so that every teacher and leader in the state is highly skilled at helping students achieve.
Why should H451/S284 be the top legislative priority?
Research shows that teacher and administrator expertise are the most significant variables in student achievement. Without H451/S284, we limit the effectiveness of all other school improvement programs. Right now, our educator workforce produces random pockets of excellence and an unacceptable number of under-skilled practitioners.
This crisis is grounded in a gross misconception of good teaching as something that can be done by anyone who is literate, decent, and knowledgeable of their content. The truth is, there is a field-tested knowledge base of professional practice – and we must now integrate it into all the personnel processes to strengthen the educator workforce across the state.
How does H451/S284 address this urgent problem?
It improves the personnel processes for educators by aligning all ten processes that have an impact on the teacher and administrator workforce and grounding them in a common core of professional knowledge.
The Ten Processes:
- Preparation
- Licensure
- Recruitment, Hiring, and Placement
- Induction
- Professional Development
- Supervision and Evaluation
- Relicensure
- Teacher Leadership
- Organizational Structure
- Organizational Culture
What are the results we should expect to see from H451/S284?
The primary result will be workforce excellence in teaching and leadership for all our schools. More specifically, we can expect:
- Better retention of beginning educators, which will create dramatic savings in teacher turnover costs, higher levels of teacher and administrator expertise, and better continuity of instruction for students
- Moved outcomes of supervision and evaluation through (1) better quality feedback and learning for all teachers; (2) intensive assistance for struggling teachers; and (3) expedited dismissal for unsatisfactory teaching
- Higher standards, more accountability, and consistency in educator preparation programs
- Incentives for hard-to-staff positions
- Career path options for instructional leadership by teachers
For more information, follow the links:
- H451/S284: Questions and Answers
- Fix the Broken Supply Chain
- Visual: Reform Stool
- Visual: Ten Processes
- Common Cores of Professional Knowledge
- Organizations supporting H451/S284
- Legislators sponsoring H451/S284
- The Working Group for Educator Excellence